Ticker: Is Tigers' Max Scherzer for American League Cy Young worth a gamble?

March 31, 2013

Former President George W. Bush meets Baylor star Brittney Griner before the Bears hosted Florida State on Tuesday in the NCAA women's tournament. They play Louisville in the Sweet 16 today. / Robert Rogers/Associated Press

By Steve Schrader

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

While the Tigers are putting their money on Justin Verlander, ESPN.com's Dan Szymborski thinks one of his rotation-mates is worth gambling a few bucks.

Writing about prop bets on players as the baseball season starts up, Szymborski likes the 20/1 odds offered on Max Scherzer winning the AL Cy Young Award.

"At those odds, it's hard not to take an upside bet on Scherzer," Szymborski writes. "If someone held me by the collar and threatened to rearrange my face if I don't pick the pitcher most likely to advance into the elite class of the league, it would be a very unusual situation, but one in which I'd have to back Scherzer. ...

"With last season's shoulder issues not recurring so far, Scherzer's getting some more buzz this spring. But I think he's even better. So I'm placing some money on the Silver Hammer."

Park tour

• Wrigley Field: The second-oldest major league baseball stadium has 41,000 seats that can fit roughly 18,000 Chicago Cubs fans.

• The Coliseum: Home of the Oakland A's, it boasts all four bases, a pitcher's mound and an outfield.

Press clipping

• Russ Lande, National Football Post, with another mock draft picking the Lions to take BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah at No. 5: "After coaching Ansah at Senior Bowl they know how effective he can be if lined up wide and allowed to attack the edge, so they jump at the chance to select him here."

• Bovada.lv set the over/under for Tigers victories this season at 92 1/2.

• One more thing about Ndamukong Suh on "Splash": In the taped intros of the celebrities, when he dove into the pool wearing shoulder pads, did they actually make it sound like he was growing underwater?